Wide range sprinkler



M. w. MCARDLE 2,064,072

WIDE RANGE SPRINKLER Filed Aug. 28, 1933 Patented Dec. l5, 1936 PATENT OFFICE 2,004,072v WIDE RANGE srRlNKLER.

Michael W. McArdle, Chicago, Ill., assignor'to Chicago Flexible Shaft Company, a corporation of Illinois Application August 2s, 11533, serial No. 687,076.

s claims. (ci. a99- ssi 'Ihis invention relates to sprinklers. and hasv particular reference to sprinklers adapted for use on parks, golf courses, and the like, where even distribution of large quantities of water over a wide range is required.

While wide range sprinklers are known,` all of.

those with which I am acquainted are relatively complicated in construction and embody coml plicated devices in attempting to obtain uniform distribution of the water from the sprinkler outward to the edge of the area covered by the sprinkler. The sprinklers are comparatively expensive to manufacture and are prone. to be unreliable in service since reliability of a device of this character is predicated upon continuous good perfomance in the absence of an attendant. Many of these sprinklers have numerous bearing surfaces and the parts are not so arranged and balanced as to give prolonged and uninterrupted service, trouble frequently developing because of uneven wear in the bearings.

I have aimed to provide a wide range sprinkler f greater simplicity and reliability than those heretofore known.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a wide range sprinkler having a single nozzle tip and means for balancing the moving parta Another object of the invention is the provision lof a wide range sprinkler having improved bearing construction. A still further object of the invention is the provision of an improved nozzle tip for wide range sprinklers.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a one-piece nozzle tip having orices arranged to provide substantially uniform wide range delivery.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side perspective view of a sprinkler embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through thev body and a portion of the delivery tube showing the bearing construction;

Fig.` 3 is a perspective view of my improved nozzle tip; l f

Fig. 4 is an end view of the nozzle tip, and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

The sprinkler consists of a pair of wheels between which is supported a body offset from the center, the weight of the delivery. tube being disposed so as to balance the delivery tube about the axis of its bearing.

Referring flrst to Figure 1, the numerals 1 and v 8 designate generally a pair of wheels, in this instance being, a pair of rollers connected together by means of a shaft 9,. the rollers .being journ'aled on the shaft. A cylindrical body II carries spaced brackets'IZ and I3 on one side, the brackets having sleeves I4 for receiving the shaft 9 to support thet body thereon. The brackets may be iixedly secured to the shaft in any well known manner, as.' for example, by set screws, keys, or by a press t, as shown in the drawing. A hose connection pipe I5 is secured to the body Il on the side opposite from the brackets I2 and I3 in any suitable manner, as, for example, by threading the end I6 of the pipe into a threaded boss I1 on the body. The hose connection pipe is curved downwardly, as shown in Figure 1, so that contact of the outer end I8 thereof with the ground serves to support the body II free from-the ground. ,The end I8 of tube 2|, the outer end 22 thereof extending radially outward from the point of support and carrying a nozzle tip, designated generally by the numeral 23, at its terminus.

Enclosed bearing means is provided for pivotally supporting the delivery tube on the body. This consists of a tubular bearing member 24 threaded into the lower end of the delivery pipe, as shown' at 25, and extending into the body II, as shown in Fig. 2. The body I I is provided with a bore 26 forming a bearing and a bore 21 forming a chamber, the lower end of the chamber 21 being closed by a threaded plug 28. The bearing member 24 is receivable in thel bores 26 andv 21 and has bearing support in the bore 26. The bearing member is provided with an annular flange 3| so positioned as to bear against the shoulder 29 at the junction fbetween the bores 26 and 21. A replaceable Washer to seal the bearing and take the wear is shown interposed between the iiange 3I and shoulder 29. The bearing member 24 is also provided with transverse slots 32 and 33 within the bore 21 for the passage of water from the pipe I5 and bore 21 to the interior of the tubular bearing member 24 through which it passes into the delivery tube 2|. The lower end ef the bearing member 24 has lateral support in the plug 28 and preferably, though not necessarily, has a solid bottom 34 also having -end thrust bearing support against the plug 28.

A grease cup 35 of conventional character serves to provide lubricant to the bearing portion 26. In-the f-orm shown in the drawing, the delivery tube 2| is provided with an arcuate bend adjacent to the body as shown at 36, and has a channel 31 arranged to receive the water from the bearing member 24 and conduct the same to the nozzle tip 23. The purpose of this bend in the delivery tube is tobalance the delivery tube about its bearing in the body Il, and while this particular manner is shown in thel drawing, the weight of the nozzle tip 23 and the. overhanging end 22 of the delivery tube may be counterbalanced in any convenient manner.

Referring now to Figs. 3 to 5, inclusive, Wherein the nozzle tip is shown in further' detail, the numeral 38 designates the body of the tip which is preferably formed as a single piece. The tip has a bore 39 of substantially uniform diameter terminating at one end in a conical bore 4| which in turn terminatesin a relatively large oriice 42 substantially coaxial with the bore 39; The body 39 also carries on its tip portion a longitudinal rib 43 directed upwardly from the end of the tube 2| and rearwardly with respect to the direction of rotation of the tube at an acute angle to the vertical plane thereof, as indicated in Fig. 4. Aforwardly directed orifice 44 adjacent to the orifice 42 and of substantially smaller diameter than the orifice 42 and at an acute angle to the axis of the bore 39 and orice 42. Joining the orifice 44 and extending rearwardly lengthwise of the rib, 43 is a radial slot 45, the slot in this instance extending slightly beyond the rear end of the rib, as best shown in Figa-3 and'5. The

bore 39 is threaded at 46 for the reception oi' the threaded end 41 of the delivery tube 2|. A lock nut 48 is carried on the threaded end 41 and is adapted to be screwed against the nozzle tip to secure the same'against rotation with respect to the delivery tube.

In use, 'the hose connection pipe I5 is connected tol a suitable source of water supply through the coupling I9. Water passes, through the pipe |5 and into the bore 21 0f the body.

From the bore 21, water passes through'the slots 32 and 33 into the interior of the tubular bearing member 24 and thence through the channel 31 into the bore 39 of the nozzle tip. At the nozzle tip, the greater proportion of the water exits through the orifice 42. 'This being a relatively large stream of water under highV pressure; theY stream. will be carried far out from the nozzle before it begins t'o break into a spray. It will be seen that the angle of the portion 22 of the delivery tube will, toa certain extent, regulate the distance to which this' stream of water will :be projected. This stream will break as it appreaches the end of its path; and upon rotation' of the delivery'tube about the body will cover a' circular band relatively far out from the sprinkler. Simultaneously, a stream of water will pass out of the orice 44. However, this stream of water will be of considerably smaller size than that emerging from the criiice 42 and consequently the stream will break at an earlier point in its travel. The size of the orifice 44 is so arranged that the outer edge of the band cov-v ered thereby will substantially coincide with the inner edge ofthe band covered by the water from p distribution o! water.

the orince.42. Water will also emerge from the radial slot 45 in a fan-shaped spray-like delivery and will cover the area outwardly and inwardly from the nozzle 23, between the inner edge of the band covered by the orifice 44 and the sprinkler. The relative sizes of the orifices 42 and .44' fand the radial slot 45 are so arranged that they lcover bands of successively smaller radius and distribute substantially equal amounts of waterper unit area in. each band. -`.A further function oi the radial port 44 and the radial slot 45 is to apply a rotative force-to the delivery tube. It Y will be seen that the water being discharged from these ports along one'side of the nozzle tip tends to bring about rotation of the delivery tube through the unequal forces incident thereon y through this arrangement. It will be noted alsol that the rate of rotation of the delivery tube about its bearing may be regulated by varying the rotative position of the nozzle tip on the delivery tube and that the closer the rib 43 approachesa transverse position at right angles with respect to the vertical plane of the tube 2|, the greater will be the rate of rotation of the delivery tube.

Attention `is directed to the fact that the body I| is supported to one side of the vertical plane.

through the axis of the wheels and that the hose connection pipe |5 is connected to the body on the opposite side so that the body is supported between the'wheels and the pipe. The pipe `|5 may conveniently be used as a handle or as a Itis evident from Fig. 2 that I have also provided a. reenforcement preferably formed integral with the tube 2| and completing a circle skid for rolling the sprinkler from place to'place'.

ing construction whereby avery simple and yet tribution of weight resulting from this oiset` position. I-have also provided a one-piece nozzle tip so arranged as to uniformly distribute the ilow of water throughout the entire rangeof the sprinkler without'the use oi anyA type of moving distribution elements. Because of the'. arrangement of the nozzle tip and the vprovision of aA single nozzle instead oi' a plurality ofnozzle tips,

amaximum range isv obtained from the sprinkler since the water pressure is notdissipated by the provision of a plurality of nozzle tips. Attention is directed to thesimpliclty of construction which entirely eliminates the necessity for close personal supervision of the sprinkler while in operation and also to the improvedl wide rangeand uniform While I have thus described and illustrated a specific embodiment of my invention, I am aware that numerous alterations and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or-the sco'pe of the appended claims, in which- 1. In a rotary sprinkler, a nozzle tip having an -axial bore and an axialorice communicating with Athe end thereof, a. supplementary oriiice in spaced relation to the axial orice and diverging from the bore at an acute angle, said supplementary orifice being small in diameter in relation to the axial orifice, and a slit orice of small width in relation to the supplementary orifice and extending from the latter along one side of the nozzle tip away from the axial orifice.

2. In a rotary sprinkler, a nozzle having a tapered tip portion, provided with an axial main orifice, a longitudinal rib projecting from said tapered portion away from said main orifice of the sprinkler, a secondary orifice in the side of the tapered tip extending through said rib and of smaller diameter in relation to the main orifice and diverging from the bore at an acute angle, and a longitudinal slot in said rib of small width inrelation to the secondary orifice and extending from the latter away from the main orifice a certain distance sumcient to produce a fanshaped spray.

3. In a wide range rotary sprinkler, a nozzle having an axial bore and an axial main orice communicating with one end thereof of relatively large diameter for wide range sprinkling, a secondary orifice of smaller diameter disposed in diverging relation to the main orice and at an acute angle with respect thereto for intermediate range sprinkling, and anarrow slot of narrower width than the secondary orifice extending along the side of the nozzle from the secondary orice in a direction away from the main orifice for close range sprinkling.

4. A wide range sprinkler comprising spaced coaxial wheels, a hollow upstanding body supported therebetween oiset laterally from the vertical plane of the wheels, a hose connection pipe entering the body on the side thereof opposite said wheels arranged to form a third support for the body, and a delivery tube communicating with the hose connection pipe through said body and having a lower portion pivoted in said body on an axis at right angles to the plane of support of said sprinkler and an upper portion in a vertical plane extending from the lower portion first to one side of the axis o rotation and upwardly and across the axis and terminating at a remote point on the other side of the axis, the portions of said upper portion on opposite sides of the axis substantially counterbalancing each other when said axis is vertical.

5.,A wide range sprinkler comprising spaced coaxial wheels, a hollow upstanding body carried between the wheels, supported thereon, and offset laterally from the lvertical plane of the wheels, a hose connection pipe entering the body on the side thereof opposite said wheels arranged to form a third support for the body, and a delivery tube communicating with the hose connection pipe through said body and pivoted on the body on an axis at right angles to the plane of support of the sprinkler, comprising a delivery end' extending upwardly from the axis ofsupport, bent through an arc ranging between 180 and 270 on one side of said axis, and extending outwardly on the opposite side of the axis, the outwardly extending end and the arcuate portion normally substantially counterbalancing each other to balance the delivery tube when the axis thereof is vertical.

6. A wide range sprinkler comprising spaced coaxial wheels, a hollow body carried on and between the wheels and oifset laterally from the vertical plane of the wheels, a hose connection pipe entering the body on the side thereof opposite said wheels arranged to form a third support for the body, a single delivery tube communicating with the hose connection pipe through said body and pivoted on the body on an axis at right angles to the plane of support of said sprinkler and having a delivery end terminating on the arc of a circle of substantially greater radius than the body, and a nozzle tip on the delivery end of said tube having an axial orice and at leastl one supplementary orifice in spaced relation to and of smaller diameter than the axial orifice and spaced therefrom both laterally and longitudinally of the nozzle tip, said tip being rotatable axially on said delivery end to determine the ,rate of rotation of said delivery tube.

MICHAEL W. MCARDLE. 

